Page 90 of Nashville Cowboy
She smiled. “I do that sometimes, too. I talk to the Lord when I’m cleaning. It’s being alone so much, I think.”
“That, too. Any luck finding that quilt?”
“The quilt?” Brenda looked confused.
“Eve’swedding quilt? The one I’ve been turning up the house to find. You were supposed to help.” Lillian crossed her arms. “Well, isn’t that why you’re here?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.” Then she looked at the ground and shook her head. “I can’t seem to find it.”
“Oh, dear. Well, it has to besomewhere.”
“Maybe Eve got rid of it?”
It was as if the woman hadn’t been listening to Lillian, or was preoccupied. “ShetoldSadie that she kept it.”
“Oh, that’s right. But she may have lost it and doesn’t even know she did. If she hasn’t looked at it in a while, that might be the case.”
Lillian hadn’t thought of that. Had she been wasting all her time on this quest? As if she didn’t have enough on her plate!
“You should know, Brenda, we may have a problem.Sheshowed up. Jackson’s ex-wife. Winona.”
“Why is that a problem?”
“The woman has designs on him. Just you wait and see.”
“I thought they were married for such a short time.”
“Yes. It wasn’t a real marriage if you ask me. Maybe that’s the problem. She’s back to ask to extend the contract.”
Brenda gave a little smile. “I guess that will be up to Jackson, then.”
“Huh.” Lillian didn’t know how the woman could remain so calm. Maybe because she hadn’t seen the blonde throw herself into Jackson’s arms.
“Lillian,” Brenda now said, kindly. “Please don’t worry yourself about this. When two people want to be together, they will find a way even with some challenges. But it does have to be both, not just one of them.”
“I’m sure you’re right. I need to relax.” Lillian fanned herself. “Eve…she’s just been through so much. And people were so…unkind.”
She could count herself among those people. The guilt still ate her alive some days. Anger could be such a powerful thing. Wielded like a sword which cut both ways. It had taken her a while to realize the anger she felt for Eve was slowly killing Lillian.
Brenda touched Lillian’s shoulder gently. “I hope you’re not blaming yourself any longer. It was natural for you to be angry with Eve. She did a foolish thing.”
“She was just a girl. I shouldn’t have been so hard on her.” Lillian turned then, at the sound of a horse’s hooves.
There was Hank, atop a gelding. He stopped a few feet away from them, hopped off, and walked toward them holding the reins.
“Hey, Brenda,” he said.
“Hello.”
“Son, what are you up to today?” Lillian said.
“The usual,” Hank said and narrowed his eyes. “I thought you had physical therapy today.”
“I rescheduled.”
She’d had the cast removed the day before the wedding, a huge relief. But now the doctor wanted to further torture her. He said mobility was lacking or some such thing, and she ought to have some therapy for it. Lillian offered to do the exercises at home, but they still insisted on an appointment. She figured she’d keep rescheduling until they gave up on her.
“Mother, you can’t ignore this,” Hank warned. “If the doctor said physical therapy, you need physicaltherapy.”
